McLaren’s excited description of the kick – as the ball sailed through the Cardiff air and narrowly between the posts – only added to the magic of the moment.
“I’ve seen all the great goal-kickers in the world over the last decade, but I’ve never seen a kick like this one”, he told the TV audience.
And we have never seen anything like it since.
At just over 70 yards (64.2m), ‘that kick’ still remains a record, 40 years later.
Changes to the game’s laws mean fewer kickers are even likely to attempt such a long kick given team’s retain possession when kicking a penalty to touch.
“Circumstances have dictated in many ways that people don’t go for it anymore,” Thorburn told Radio Wales Breakfast.
“There are players out there, like South Africa’s Francois Steyn a number of years ago, who could do it. And of course I did have a bit of a breeze behind me, I’m not going to lie about that.”
